This course examines quality and safety issues within healthcare organizations. Students will be introduced to quality improvement science and risk management strategies that reduce the likelihood of injuries and financial loss in addition to quality management activities to assure that standards are met and to optimize the quality of healthcare. Topics include quality of service delivery, quality planning, physician-patient relationships, safety of health care, quality of health services research, health care evaluation and benchmarking, technology assessment, and clinical research related to quality of care.